Exercise Designed for Adults at the Burke Fitness Center
If you are looking for a local community-based fitness center that caters to adults 40 years and older, you’ve found it at the Burke Fitness Center located on the Burke Rehabilitation Hospital grounds at 785 Mamaroneck Avenue in White Plains.
A recent tour of the facility highlighted a bright clean exercise space where people are serious about their workout and trained staff are available to help in any situation.
Heather Massimo, Director of Community Wellness at Burke, explained that while both inpatients and outpatients use the facility, anyone from the community can become a member. “The mean age of members is about 75,” Massimo explained. “To become a member, you first need to have a physician’s clearance. We then work with you to design a program specific to your needs.”
At the core of Burke’s fitness program is a computer system called FitLinxx that tracks a member’s progress, monitoring heart rate and the amount of time and energy spent on the various workout machines.
The workout equipment includes upper body exercisers, Nu-Step seated leg exercise, Cybex upright steppers, arc trainers, upright and seated cycles, and Cybex and LifeFitness basic strength-training machines, as well as LifeFitness cross trainers.
“When you join, you get an ID that is keyed into the system. You need the ID to unlock the equipment. It then helps you and the fitness center’s staff to monitor your progress and reach goals,” Massimo said.
There also are workout classes not often found at gyms and fitness clubs. These are geared toward patients with special needs who can use props to help them with positions and movement. People with neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis or Parkinson’s disease, or who have difficulty with balance and movement benefit greatly from these adaptive programs.
There are adaptive yoga classes and chair Zumba, for example as well as tai chi and pilates. The instructors are all certified in their respective disciplines and will work with individual members.
“The adaptive classes are designed for people who can’t do the traditional forms. Rather than isolating members, we work to make everyone feel included,” Massimo noted. There is a beneficial social aspect to the classes at Burke as well as an attractive campus to make exercising more inviting. During the nice weather, Massimo explained that some instructors take their classes outside into the grassy quad.
Similar to a fitness club, there are showers and changing rooms as well as a strength training room, plus TVs in the exercise machine area. The center also features a 1/8-mile outdoor track.
Massage therapy is available to promote deep relaxation, reduce pain from health issues, strengthen the immune system, improve range of motion, increase circulation and improve muscle tone.
Enrollment fees and monthly membership can be found by visiting burke.org/community/fitness-center or calling 914-597-2500. An application form is available on the center’s website. Reduced rates are offered on group exercise classes and special programs are available throughout the year that do not require center membership.
